An exquisite equaliser from Yaya Toure sparked a second-half comeback by Manchester City in the League Cup final on Sunday, with a 3-1 victory over Sunderland giving Manuel Pellegrini his first trophy as manager.

Returning to the stadium where Roberto Mancini’s City career ended in an FA Cup final loss last May, further Wembley misery appeared to be beckoning when Fabio Borini put Premier League struggler Sunderland in front after 10 minutes.

Instead, City, which has now scored 121 goals this season, remains on course for an improbable quadruple that would require all the resolve displayed in the second half to complete.

After a flat first-half performance, the recovery began after Toure nonchalantly curled into the net from 30 yards (meters) in the 55th minute, with Samir Nasri volleying home City’s second inside two minutes.

City fans were already celebrating just their third trophy in three years, following a 35-year title drought, when Jesus Navas completed a counterattack to add the third in the 90th minute.

After more than $1.5 billion of Abu Dhabi investment in less than six years, City has now won each of the domestic trophies in three years, following the 2011 FA Cup and 2012 Premier League title.